The banana diaries

Hey, kids. What's up?

How's everyone doing this Wednesday morning? Just finished up a short speed-workout on the treadmill, and now I'm munching on some apple slices topped with cinnamon :) It's almost fall, right?! (i.e. IT'S TOMORROW!! WOO!)

To kick off this lovely, crisp season, I decided to try out another one of Shalane and Elyse's wonderful and nutritious recipes from their new cookbook, Run Fast. Eat Slow: Sweet Potato Breakfast Cookies!!

Once again, I was not disappointed!! These breakfast cookies contain some of the most basic ingredients, yet are somehow so. freaking. good. It's like the season of fall all baked into one delicious, chewy, soft, and sweet treat!

The main ingredient? You guessed it. SWEET POTATO! These little super spuds are chock full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory goodness. Also filled with loads of beta-carotene (that lovely Vitamin A and orange hue), sweet potatoes are great at regulating blood sugar, so despite their semi-sweet disposition (and their nomenclature), you won't feel a crash after noshing on one!

Thanks again, Shalane and Elyse! You guys rock!

The other day, I was perusing The Iron You, ​Mike's blog, and came across his latest recipe for Lentil Bolognese! I was inspired, so I decided to adapt it for myself!

Lentils are another excellent food for runners (and our non-meat-eating friends!), as they provide a great source of calcium, zinc, potassium, and Vitamin K! A.K.A. you need these little guys for bone strength! Goodbye, stress fractures :) Check out my recipe adaptation!

Oh hey there.

Long time, no talk! Sorry I've been M.I.A. for a few days- I've been working on some awesome recipes and content to share with you guys!

How has everyone's week been going? Mine has been a little hectic, but I'm trying to remain present and enjoy the moment, whatever that may be. While I've been running around (quite literally), I noticed that I hadn't eaten my bananas in days​.

Well. You know what that means.

BANANA BREAD TIME!

I'm this recipe via Monique's blog, Ambitious Kitchen, and am super pumped. It's so yummy, moist, and sweet. You would never know that it's completely gluten-free and paleo! It's also full of fiber and low in sugar. Instead of honey, I swapped in coconut sugar, which is different than regular sugar in that doesn't give you that same sugar rush and is processed differently in the body. A much healthier alternative to that white processed stuff ;)

My favorite part is the chocolate chips in it. If anyone knows me well, you'd know that dark chocolate is the way to my heart. Give me anything with chocolate, and I will be one happy camper!

Check out the recipe below and let me know what you think! Thanks, Monique, for whipping up such a wonderful creation :)

Good Morning, crew!

How was everyone's weekend?! Mine was pretty spectacular actually and it's because it was just so simple. Sometimes the simpler, the better, ya know?

This weekend, I did something drastic. I took not one, but TWO rest days.

TWO!

Is that crazy or what?! I'm actually feeling super good about it! I've been training really hard lately, so my body definitely needed the break. I caught up on sleep (slept in till 7:30/8:00 am both Saturday and Sunday), made banana pancakes for my boyfriend and myself, lounge around, and explored the city! It was a beautiful, quiet, simple weekend. And I loved every minute of it!

Banana cinnamon walnut pancakes for him and straight up banana pancakes with Greek yogurt for moi! :) After chowing down Saturday morning, we walked the High Line. If you're ever in NYC, this is a must-do! It stretches from midtown all the way to downtown and is filled with patches of beautiful botanical gardens, sculptures, and views along the way. You sort of feel like you're in another city; like you're above all of the commotion that is New York, completely removed from the din below.

Not too bad, ya? ;) Sunday was spent catching up on the little to-dos, such as laundry, cleaning, and meal prep. Sunday evening, I travelled home and had dinner with the family and some family friends at the beach. Nothing beats a view like this :)

We got home pretty late, but I was still hungry, so I helped myself to some yummy Halo top ice cream! The Birthday cake flavor is incredible! I love it because usually, heavy dairy upsets my stomach, but this is not too hard! That being said, I do love my weekly Van Leewuen's ice cream- nothing beats a cup of the Dark Chocolate and Peanut Butter Swirl mixed with hot fudge and sprinkles. Oh yeah. I go all out, I promise ;)

And now on to the week! I had a beautiful run this morning, followed by some strength training, so I was in desperate need of a hearty recovery smoothie. Fun fact: Not all smoothies have to be green! I know a lot of bloggers will put in a lot of veggies (I do love to do that too), but some times I don't want a smoothie to be green! I want it to be purple, red, vanilla, or maybe pink! Embracing the colors of the rainbow over here. Let's do it!

This smoothie is full of the perfect recovery fuel after a long workout. With a banana base, I add in some maca powder, plant-based protein, a spoonful of almond butter, and some cinnamon. It's incredible, creamy, and oh-so satisfying. Check it out!

Guess what!? It's hump day.

#yourewelcome

I don't know about you, but as August is coming to a close, I know that I'll switching gears from all things summer to full-out FALL: my favorite season, and not just because my birthday is coming up. But before I go on a tangential rant about how much I love fall (I'll save that for next month, don't you worry!), I wanted to satisfy my intense craving for bananas this past week.

Yes, like the name of my blog suggests, you will find lots of bananas here. Banana bread, banana muffins, banana cream pie, banana oatmeal, bananas with almond butter and chocolate chips, banana-based smoothies, banana ice cream...I could go on! There's just something so comforting about the taste of bananas that always puts a smile on my face.

Aside from being a sweet and yummy treat, they're also full of potassium and magnesium- essential for the recovery of muscles in order to build lean muscle mass (Eat This, Not That!). Bananas also contain folate (Vitamin B9), a vitamin that may help fight depression (maybe that's why I smile a lot when I eat bananas!) (ibid). Not bad, huh?

​So I did some exploring, and I visited one of my favorite blogs, Chocolate Covered Katie, to find the perfect gluten-free banana muffin/cookie recipe. Now, when I say these are the best banana muffins I have had, I mean it. Forget that they're gluten (and refined-sugar) free, they could be entered into a competition against any other regular banana muffin, and I can guarantee you that these would beat out every single muffin. Don't believe me? Try them out for yourself!

Made with bananas, white beans, GF oats, and almond butter, these cookie-muffins are such a simple recipe and are the perfect afternoon snack. I love to spread a little almond butter on them, or I break them up and mix them into a bit of Greek yogurt with some chocolate chips. YUM!

I don't think anyone can love breakfast as much as I do.

Literally impossible. Breakfast is my hands-down favorite meal of the day. Despite my Italian heritage, I love breakfast. In fact, breakfast is usually the one thing on my mind when I go to sleep each night. What am I going to eat? The options are endless. Yes, even for the glutenoids like myself (I see you out there).

The oats are...

Creamy...Chewy...Sweet...Tangy...Easy to make...Made with ingredients you can feel good about!!

Below is my standard recipe for overnight oats. This is a make ahead recipe, so you can make this right before you go to sleep the night before. When you wake up, you'll have a bowl full of yummy yoats! As my blog grows, be on the lookout for more variations, as I plan on sharing with you my versions of brownie batter oats, cookie dough oats, banana cream pie oats, golden milk oats, and more! Just you wait!